Rain
by blueiris23
Summary: AU Shunsui x Nanao. Sometimes being so different is a good thing, especially for a frivolous boss and his straight-laced personal assistant.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own bleach or any of its characters.

**Ch. 1**

Standing outside the office door, Nanao squared her shoulders and reached for the doorknob. Today was her first day as Kyouraku-sama's personal assistant and she was prepared for anything he could dish out. She opened the door and walked into the empty office. She had purposely gotten in an hour early so that she would have time to acclimate to the new atmosphere.

Sitting down at the desk that she assumed was hers, as it was the only one that wasn't occupied with personal knick-knacks, she explored the drawers to see what kind of work would be waiting for her today. Almost immediately she found a day-timer that had Kyouraku-sama's meetings for the day written in it. Nanao found herself perplexed. There was nothing scheduled before 10:30am and nothing after 4:00pm on any day of any week that she flipped to. Curious, Nanao set the book aside and decided that would be the first thing she would ask Kyouraku-sama when he got in. Perhaps there was another book or record somewhere.

Nanao turned to another stack of papers and started up her computer so that she could get a head-start on the day. Shortly, she was typing away on her keyboard, tallying up expenses and performing the many other various tasks that now were assigned to her. The minutes ticked by quickly and soon the other employees slowly started to trickle in. It was at that moment that Nanao realized she would have her work cut out for her; more than half of her co-workers arrived late, and about a quarter of the desks weren't occupied at all until 9:45. The most notable absence of course, was that of her new boss. His office was still unoccupied by 9:30, and at 10:15 Nanao decided to reschedule his 10:30 appointment. At 10:45 she started asking her coworkers if they knew where their boss was.

Frustrated, fifteen minutes later she sat back at her desk. This obviously wasn't going to be her day. The first person she had asked just laughed and walked away as if she'd said something funny. The second cryptically said, "It's not noon yet", and so it went until on her fifth try she got a straight answer from an excessively well-endowed woman by the name of Matsumoto Rangiku. Apparently Kyouraku-sama was never expected in before 10:30 and 11:30 was well within the realm of the possible.

Nanao quite suddenly realized why no one had outlasted the 4 month mark. She'd been here less than five hours and already her stress level was higher than it had been in...well...years at least. Annoyed Nanao decided she was going to have to take matters in her own hands. By 11:00 she had contacted Kyouraku-sama's last three assistants, had Kyouraku-sama's home phone number, cell phone, home address, and the numbers of all known acquaintances copied down in her Blackberry.

Shortly after this the man in question strolled through the door practically radiating good cheer as he stopped beside her desk.

Nanao quickly stood and introduced herself, "I'm Nanao Ise. I'm your new assistant."

"Ah, of course you are! Jushiro mentioned that he would be sending someone my way. It's astonishing that he never mentioned how lovely you would be!"

"I appreciate the compliment sir, but I'm not entirely comfortable with such unprofessional behavior" Nanao said, slightly discombobulated by the unexpected reply.

"My Nanao-chan is so modest! As if I could meet a woman as wondrous as she without making a comment. However, if such things make her uncomfortable I will do my best to restrain my admiration."

"Kyouraku-sama, I'd very much prefer it if you refrained from taking liberties with my name as I'd very much rather you didn't call me Nanao-chan."

"And more restrictions! I confess I am quite confused; I thought you said your name was Nanao. No matter, I'll simply have to apologize with a kiss to make amends for my behaviour!" Kyouraku-sama replied, leaning in and setting his left hand on the desk beside her.

Nanao panicked and her mind raced trying to think of an escape route. She took a step back, and as his face neared hers she frantically reached behind her trying to find a weapon. Coming up with the day-timer she quickly put it between his face and hers successfully stopping his advance.

"So cold Nanao-chan! I was only trying to apologize" Kyouraku-sama said as he pulled back with a disappointed expression on his face.

"Sir, please do not address me as Nanao-chan, and kissing your subordinate would be highly improper," Nanao said, stepping back. Opening the day-timer as if that had been her intent all along, she flipped to the current date.

"Since you weren't in on time for your first appointment I rescheduled for 2:00pm. It's imperative that you be on time for this meeting as that is the only time I could reschedule for. I have also arranged the proper forms and contracts for you to sign and put them on your desk," Nanao stated as she adjusted her glasses, using the recitation to get her nerves under control.

"My Nanao-chan is so organized! I'll just take a quick lunch and be back later to fill out those forms!" was Kyouraku-sama's reply as he quickly backpedalled towards the door, exiting as promptly as he had arrived and leaving Nanao sputtering in his wake.

Nanao narrowed her eyes. Kyouraku-sama was seriously underestimating her if he thought that he could escape so easily. Nanao steeled her resolve and prepared herself for what was shaping up to be a fight of titanic proportions.

* * *

This is my very first story so reviews and suggestions would be very much appreciated! My express thanks to CrazyNinjaPenguin for beta-ing the story and the immensely helpful suggestions.


	2. Chapter 2

I sadly don't own bleach or any of its characters.

**Ch.2**

Four months later Nanao was secretly celebrating her success. She had just outlasted all of the previous assistants, had gotten Kyouraku-sama to his 10:00 meeting, and had half the day's documents signed by 1:00. Today was truly a stupendous day.

Things had slowly formed into a routine. Kyouraku-sama (who had turned out to be the worst sort of incorrigible flirt) would make a pass at her. She and her handy day-timer (and weapon of choice) would settle the matter in her favour. When papers had to be signed a sneak-attack was usually the most successful. Meeting times were never under any circumstances to be released more than two hours in advance as it almost always resulted in Kyouraku-sama's absence.

When she put it like that in her head it sounded quite awful but Nanao found that she truly didn't mind. As impossible as he was, for some reason or other Kyouraku-sama and her seemed to work together. He gave her a challenge, and she gave him amusement. Nanao was almost positive that his resistance had become a game to him, albeit one that he always lost eventually.

It wasn't that she liked her work exactly. Kyouraku-sama was exactly the sort of man she disliked. He was a smooth-talking Casanova with shaky morals, no work ethic, and more bad habits than she could count. But for all that, he wasn't a bad person by any means, and as much as she detested him on a professional level she found she couldn't truly hate him, not really anyway.

Satisfied with her rationalization and her progress so far, Nanao decided to reward herself with a cup of tea before she went to hunt down Kyourku-sama for his 2:00 doctor's appointment. He would be on the roof she thought, smiling. Kyouraku may think that he was a clever man, but the day that Nanao couldn't out-manoeuvre a hung-over lothario like him would be the day she ate her hairclip.

* * *

Shunsui was out on the roof enjoying the wonderful autumn weather. He had chosen his hiding place specifically. He had formed a routine over the last month, and today should have been his day to be in the cafe across the street, but instead he had come up here. He smiled imagining his Nanao-chan frantically searching for him.

He thoroughly enjoyed their relationship. Although he should have been discouraged by the way that Nanao beat him at almost every turn, leaving him with far more losses than wins, he found that he was having more fun than he had in years. Shunsui now had to be up an hour earlier (horror of horrors) since Nanao-chan would begin strategically phoning around if he wasn't in by 10:00, he did more paperwork in a week than he previously did in a month and his napping had been cut down to a mere 2 hours a day. For all this however he wouldn't change his cute little Nanao-chan for the world; he lived for the times when he out-witted her, leaving a dangerous and oh-so-sexy glint in her eyes that promised retaliation.

He found that he even had fond feelings for her day-timer, although Shunsui heartily wished that it wasn't quite so quick to block his every move. He remembered the day when he had cornered Nanao. He was just about to throw his arms around her when all of a sudden something hit him. Hard. In the head. For several seconds afterwards he couldn't figure out what had happened, and then he realized that his Nanao had gotten him with one of the ever-present books in her hand.

"That sort of conduct is inappropriate Kyouraku-sama," she had said icily, "please control your outbursts while at work."

And then she had glided off, leaving Kyouraku dazed and sitting on the floor. It was then that he knew that Nanao wasn't going to be like all the others. She was hard-working, meticulous, hard-headed, and gave as good as she got. In short, she alone had the power to make him toe the line...or at least never put both feet over it at once. For this he admired her greatly.

Amidst all his musings, the door behind him suddenly opened and he heard footsteps approaching him. Turning he saw Nanao walking across the roof towards him, a cup of tea in hand. Settling beside him wordlessly she handed over the cup of tea.

Shaking his head at himself for believing that he could trick Nanao so easily, Shunsui accepted his cup of tea. "My lovely Nanao-chan has found me, and even brought me tea. I am stunned! I do believe that I am growing on you, Nanao," he said with a smirk, sliding his eyes to watch her without turning his head.

"If you are growing on me it's the same way that mould grows on bread. It's hardly flattering. I brought the tea merely to help you relax before your doctors' appointment," replied Nanao-chan, not missing a single beat.

"Doctor's appointment? I'm sure that I don't remember having anything like that scheduled for today. Besides, my health is fine. It's entirely unnecessary."

There was a bland look on Nanao-chan's face as she replied. "According to their records you haven't been in over three years. You're well overdue for a check-up. Your appointment is in forty-five minutes and as soon as you are finished your drink we will have to get going. The car is already waiting downstairs."

Shunsui gulped. He knew that tone in Nanao's voice. It meant that everything had been arranged, and short of suddenly having the ability to fly there was no escape this time. He hated going to the doctor and had managed to avoid going for as long as possible.

Sighing, he sipped his tea knowing that avoiding the inevitable was futile. Today just wasn't going to be his lucky day. Rebuffed twice by Nanao and her handy day-timer, up before 10:00, and now a doctors appointment. It made him wish that it was something stronger than tea in his cup.

* * *

Please review. Suggestions and improvements are welcome in any form. My thanks to CrazyNinjaPenguin for beta-ing the story.


	3. Chapter 3

Sadly still own neither bleach nor its characters

**Ch. 3**

Later that week, a very disgruntled and abused Shunsui sat brooding over an espresso in a corner-cafe. His doctor's appointment had been followed by a dentists appointment, which had been followed by a conference where he and Jushiro were supposed to be the MC and keynote speakers respectively. Nanao-chan was in fine form, having somehow managed to orchestrate her clever and diabolical scheme, complete both her and Shunsui's usual workload, **and** foil his every attempt to escape.

In short, life and lady luck were having a good laugh at Shunsui's expense and he was sure they were thoroughly enjoying it.

Shunsui knew that sooner or later Nanao would hunt him down again; he wasn't hiding anywhere too revolutionary, and he'd just escaped without completing all the paperwork she'd assigned him. He was hoping that the simplicity of his plan would distract her and make her over-compensate. Or, alternatively, that she'd take pity on him and let him think that his plan had distracted her. In the meantime he fully intended to enjoy his coffee and perhaps take a nap under a convenient tree if he remained "lost" long enough.

Sighing, Shunsui relaxed into his chair, sipping at his espresso. He let the strong yet pleasant beverage soothe his nerves. He found himself wondering what Nanao would drink if she was here. Tea, undoubtedly, but which type? Black tea, green, chai, or herbal? Perhaps a nice peppermint, refreshing and understated like her personality. Catching himself, Shunsui mentally shook his head.

He had found himself thinking of her at the strangest moments lately. He blamed it on the fact that he saw her more than anyone except, perhaps, Jushiro. But it still nagged at him that his mental meanderings often led him in directions that couldn't solely be explained away as platonic curiosity. Shunsui would pass a dress shop and wonder what Nanao would look like in a red dress before deciding that a sophisticated Navy-blue would suit her better. It bothered him quite a lot that he had spent enough time considering this to decide what size she would likely be.

Sometimes he would lie in bed at night and wonder what she was doing. Realizing that she was probably reading a book, he'd then set to figure out what type. Shunsui's favourite candidate was always a romance novel; he just knew that Nanao had a passionate and romantic heart; the problem was that it was often overshadowed by her cool and calculating mind. One day he suddenly realized that he was browsing through a table of books outside a bookstore. Shunsui had never in his life browsed through books.

Shunsui was unsure what all of this meant. He was no fool; he knew that he was obviously attracted to Nanao, but as there was obviously no chance she returned his affections he really should put her out of his mind. For all his faults, Shunsui rarely continued in directions that he knew led to nothing but a dead end. What worried him was the fact that he was helpless to redirect his thoughts elsewhere. Mind you he hadn't had a romantic interest in awhile... perhaps all he needed was a fling to clear his mind.

It was at that moment that a fiery redhead caught his gaze from across the room. She boldly and confidently locked eyes with him in a manner that could only have been more obvious if she walked over to Shunsui and hit him over the head with a sign that said "Come Hither". Smirking gently, Shunsui merely leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms; he was in no mood for the chase today; if the redhead wanted him she'd have to come and claim him.

Obviously his message was well received because she slowly finished her cappuccino and rose from her chair before sauntering towards him.

* * *

Nanao had just spent half an hour unsuccessfully searching for her boss, mostly on purpose. She felt vaguely guilty for the tortures she'd submitted him to this week, and thought that perhaps she should have paced herself a little bit more, eased him into things instead of ambushing him. Which was why she'd decided to give him a respite. She'd let him hide for an hour and when he wasn't back by 2:00 she'd decided to start looking for him, slowly.

Finally Nanao decided to check the corner cafe across the park from their office building. It was one of the more obvious choices, and one that Nanao had ignored for as long as possible since it was in her top-5 list of places Kyouraku-sama was likely to be. She couldn't ignore it any longer however...besides, for some reason or other she felt uneasy when Kyouraku-sama wasn't in the office. Perhaps she was just nervous because almost anything could happen (and frequently did) when he was out of her sight for long periods of time.

She'd never forget the time during her second month of work that she'd spent 5 hours searching for him vainly, in the rain, on a Monday, only to find him passed out on a park bench. Apparently he'd been so hung over from his weekend-long bender (break-up with mysterious vacation girl) that he hadn't been able to make it to work and had laid down en-route. This was followed by a week of playing nurse, as he had mysteriously (ha!) woken up with a stuffy nose, fever, and a headache from hell.

Snapping her wayward thoughts into place she spotted Kyouraku-sama at one of the tables beside the window in the cafe. Stopping for a moment across the street she considered leaving him be for the rest of the afternoon, or perhaps joining him. Nanao had completed all the work that she had allotted for the day, as had Shunsui. She always put more on his desk than she thought he could reasonably finish since it appeared impossible for him to get through an entire stack of papers no matter how much time he had.

Nanao was busy pondering her dilemma when she noticed an attractive redhead staring at Kyouraku-sama like she was considering eating him for dessert. For some reason or other this annoyed Nanao, and the annoyance only got deeper when the redheaded hussy stood up from her chair and waltzed over to Kyouraku-sama, striking up a conversation. Swallowing her feelings, Nanao started across the street only to stop dead when she saw her boss flirting back, blatantly.

Stung, Nanao could only stand and watch, feelings welling up in her chest that she couldn't place. Turning slightly, Nanao prepared to walk in the opposite direction back towards the office and its safety when a horn blasted through the air. Startled, Nanao looked to her left and saw a car rumble towards her. She jumped and barely made it back up on the sidewalk before the vehicle and its inconsiderate driver drove by.

Berating herself as an idiot for being so thoughtless as to stop in the middle of a cross-walk, Nanao looked up and met Kyouraku-sama's eyes through the glass of the front window. Colouring at being caught in such an awkward position, Nanao quickly walked away trying to forget the moment and the odd feelings that it had summoned.

* * *

Please review. Comments and suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks to CrazyNinjaPenguin for beta-ing.


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I own don't own bleach or its characters

**Ch. 4**

For a moment Shunsui was unable to move, frozen in place staring at Nanao-chan's back as it retreated from the cafe. Although people often mistook him for a man with no great understanding or wit, Shunsui actually possessed a keen and inquiring mind that was only very rarely at a loss. This was one of those times. From the space of one heartbeat to the next Shunsui could do nothing except watch, thoughts frozen and heart in his throat as a car just barely missed mowing his Nanao-chan down like so much grass. And Shunsui wouldn't have been capable of doing so much as a single thing to stop it; he couldn't even have lifted a single finger.

In that moment, with startling clarity, Shunsui realized that somehow, in some way, Nanao had become someone that he couldn't bear to lose. Shunsui honestly didn't know how, or why, or where these feelings had come from. He couldn't define them to anyone, let alone himself, even in the pain of eminent death...or on threat of never being allowed to drink sake again. All he knew was that nothing, and no-one, (not even beautiful and vivacious redheads) could stop him from going after Nanao-chan at that moment.

He needed to know that she was alright, and what she'd been doing in the middle of that particular cross-walk, caught unaware by a car in a most un-Nanao-like fashion. With that thought Shunsui turned to the woman across the table, made his apologies and was out the door quicker than a passing breeze, hot in pursuit of Nanao-chan.

* * *

Nanao stopped in the middle of the park by a fountain, out of breath and shaken. She had almost been hit by a car, and it would've been her own fault if she had. She'd stopped in the middle of a street, simply because she'd seen Kyouraku-sama chatting up some woman in a coffee-shop. She couldn't even begin to describe what kind of an idiot she was, and Nanao was not often at a loss for words.

Sitting down carefully on the edge of the stone fountain, she clasped her hands together. Closing her eyes, and inhaling a cool, soothing breath, she attempted to regain her calm. As the breaths blended each into the next, Nanao began to feel more in control and less like a woman who had made a stupid and near-serious mistake over something as silly as a moment of jealousy.

Snapping back into focus at that thought, startled, Nanao furrowed her brow. Jealousy couldn't possibly have been the right emotion. Surprise, irritation, or exasperation were all well within the realm of the possible, but Nanao had no reason to be jealous of anyone – most especially any woman that Kyouraku-sama chose to pursue.

Lost in this thought process, Nanao didn't even notice as Kyouraku-sama strode towards her displaying an uncharacteristic and almost alarming amount of intensity until he came to an abrupt halt directly in front of her. Startled, Nanao raised a wide-eyed gaze to Kyouraku-sama's for a moment, flushed and wishing very much that Kyouraku-sama hadn't just seen her during one of her most foolish moments in recent memory.

As if aware of her sudden awkwardness Kyouraku-sama slowly closed the mouth that he had just opened (no doubt to question her) and instead took a seat beside her on the ledge of the fountain.

"I saw something astonishing take place today. I almost saw my dearest Nanao-chan get into a fight that she could not have won. Granted, not many people win arguments against large metal motor-vehicles, but I am still equally at a loss to explain why she was in that situation in the first place as I am concerned about her well-being."

Recovering her cool-facade quickly with no small amount of relief that Kyouraku-sama had allowed the conversation to drift into familiar territory, Nanao replied, "I am sure that I am perfectly alright. Thank you for your concern. As for the why, I will admit that it was an ill-timed moment of indecision on my part. I was unsure whether I should interrupt your "date" or leave you to your own...devices. Besides which, I must remind you that I prefer not to be called Nanao-chan, and in any case am not 'your' anything."

"On the contrary, there are many things of mine that you are. My personal assistant for instance. That aside, I have to say, I would never have guessed that my Nanao-chan would be prone to jealousy. She must know that she has only to say the words and I will be forever her servant, bound to her every whim," was Kyouraku-sama's response, made with a small smirk as he stretched his arm behind Nanao's back and prepared to settle it on her shoulders.

Seeing through the movement in an instant, Nanao quickly produced her book, easily swatting the offending limb out of the way as she effortlessly skipped out of reach of Kyouraku-sama's long arms. "I'm sure that it was nothing of the sort. I was merely embarrassed to have stumbled upon your 'rendezvous' during work hours. In such a situation it would merely make all parties involved uncomfortable if I had interrupted, but a boss is supposed to be an example to all his employees, and I'm afraid that flirting with a trollop during the work-day is not the sort of message that Kyouraku-sama should be sending," Nanao icily countered, unnerved by how close Kyouraku-sama's words had matched her thoughts only a moment before.

Almost before Nanao had finished her declaration Kyouraku-sama had risen from his seat, arms flung wide as he sauntered in Nanao's direction. "Now, now, Nanao-chan, there is no need for such harsh accusations. I believe that we both know what your true feelings on the subject must be, and that they cannot be hidden behind skillful words. Here, let me comfort you with my arms in your moment of insecurity."

Sidestepping with a practiced ease, Nanao merely straightened her glasses to hide her growing irritation. For a moment she had forgotten the true reason for this whole awkward situation; namely Kyouraku-sama's predilection for flirtation and his inability to keep his hands, and flowery words, to himself. "That is entirely unnecessary sir. I have few insecurities, and it would only be self-flattery to include yourself, or any subject pertaining to you in them. Now if you'll excuse me, there is a great deal of paperwork waiting for me back at work, and thanks to your afternoon activities I anticipate a late evening."

With that Nanao turned and began to walk away. Before she had gotten more than three feet however, she heard Kyouraku-sama call after her "I do believe my Nanao-chan has begun to fall for me. Mere weeks ago I wouldn't have been able to ruffle so much as a single one of her impeccable feathers, but today I have managed to ruffle them all."

Suddenly overcome with a feeling not quite anger, not quite indignation, Nanao wrathfully turned upon her tormentor, her eyeglasses reflecting a blazing sheen of light back towards Kyouraku-sama as she stalked towards him. With a sudden and immaculately controlled motion, Nanao hit Kyouraku-sama square in the chest, sending him tumbling into the water-fountain behind him.

* * *

Spluttering, Kyouraku-sama looked up at Nanao with warm brown puppy-dog eyes as she gazed down at him with a fathomless gaze.

"You should refrain from sleep-talking while awake, sir, because I know that you were only dreaming if you believe that you have any effect whatsoever on my heart other than to make it burn in anger. I felt that the water would help you, hopefully, regain some semblance of sense, although I find it difficult to believe that anything could instil sense in as silly a man as you. Good day, sir." With those words Nanao turned on her heel and flounced away from him briskly.

"Such cold words Nanao-chan! You are surely the cruellest person in the world to say such things to a man who has just professed his undying devotion to you! Heartless!" Kyouraku-sama cried after Nanao, grin widening as he saw her spine stiffen for a second before she rounded a bend and proceeded out of sight.

Sighing he leaned back on his hands in the fountain, smiling to himself. After all, if she still had enough spirit to push the man who signs her pay-check into a fountain, then she couldn't have been too seriously injured by her near-miss with the car. Shunsui couldn't help feeling giddy and self-satisfied. Two minutes sparring with his Nanao-chan were more fulfilling than two hours spent peaceably with almost any other woman, and today Shunsui had learned a secret; for all Nanao-chan's calm and practical exterior, inside she had a fiery heart. Shunsui had a feeling that things were about to get a little bit more exciting in his life.

* * *

Hopefully Ch. 4 satisfies everyone, lol. I'm grateful to everyone that left reviews for the first three chapters as I really appreciated the input. Thanks again to CrazyNinjaPenguin for beta-ing and putting up with my evolving list of grammatical errors.


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: Don't own bleach or any of the characters

**Ch. 5**

Sighing, Nanao rested her forehead carefully between her hands. She felt feverish and over-tired, and there was one man who was entirely to blame for both, and many other problems that Nanao currently faced. Since their exchange in the park earlier that month Kyouraku-sama had become more single-minded than ever in his teasing, and far more horrifying was the fact that he had become more skillful. Somehow he had figured out which of her buttons to push and Nanao didn't like it at all.

Although she still counted far more victories than losses in their exchanges, the battles had become admittedly harder. It was only through grim determination and grit that Nanao had managed to remain on top of the situation, but it was taking a toll, both on her sanity and well-being. In fact, it was because of Kyouraku-sama's near-constant torment that Nanao was currently sitting at her desk at 9:00 p.m. on a perfectly fine Tuesday evening.

She'd known that it was going to be a Monday sort of a Tuesday when Kyouraku-sama had arrived at the office only 45 minutes after her, completely disrupting her morning routine. Why on earth he had been up at that time of day was something that boggled Nanao's mind, but that was beside the point. First he'd had a bouquet of carnations delivered to her in the office, and by the time she'd gotten the flowers all squared away (read: gave them to Rangiku) he'd needed her help getting dressed for his lunch meeting: "But Nanao-chan it looks so much better when you tie my tie for me!", "I would never mess up Nanao-chan's hard work!". Then he'd gone missing and after an hour and a half search she'd found him asleep in one of the basement utility closets of all places, (presumably utterly exhausted from the effort of getting up before midday) practically in a coma.

By 3:00 she'd re-tied his tie twice, (how anyone could mess up their clothes so fast was beyond her) caught him having a nap three times, and had "rescued" him from his extra-long business lunch. By the time the work-day was over Nanao had spend so much time chasing after him to get him to finish _his_ work that she'd barely gotten any progress done on _hers_.

And so here she was, sitting at her desk with a roaring headache and a fever, more tired than she had ever been in her entire life. Nanao swore she felt more rested during her final exams in University, and that was well and truly saying something.

Blindly opening the top drawer of her desk, Nanao popped the cap to a bottle of Tylenol, swallowed two of the small white pills dry, and reached over to turn off her lamp. Her headache had been getting exponentially worse every minute she spent staring at her computer screen, and her eyes needed a break. Laying her head on her wonderfully cool desk-top, Nanao allowed herself to relax. She would only rest for a few minutes, maybe fifteen at the most, and then she would finish her invoices and head home for some much-needed sleep.

* * *

Humming as he jauntily waltzed down the hall, pink tie lose and flapping after him, Shunsui congratulated himself on his progress. He knew that he'd been onto something when he had pushed the normally reserved Nanao-chan to the point of exploding at him, and in the past weeks Shunsui had learned many interesting things. For instance, his Nanao-chan did indeed have a temper, albeit one that was well hidden, and over the passing days he had provoked every side of it imaginable.

There was the furious Nanao whose intensity could rival an ice-geyser in its bone-searing cold. That was by far the most terrible of Nanao-chan's forms. Shunsui had accidentally provoked it one afternoon (he still thought she had severely overreacted; after all, the company could easily buy her a new PDA and it wasn't his fault that that cup of tea was in the way when he sat on her desk), and even he had seriously been afraid for his health during those few moments before he managed to escape.

Then, of course, there was the wrathful Nanao (previously seen during the Fountain Incident, as Shunsui liked to call it) who had left many of the office staff wounded and cowering (not physically of course) after the wild office-party that had trashed half the floor and gone hundreds of dollars over-budged. Alcohol expenses of course. And finally, his favourite, the indignant Nanao, whose ire caused purple lightning-bolts to flash through her beautiful eyes as she masterfully swatted Shunsui away like a cat who had been teased just a tiny bit too far.

All-in-all Shunsui was positive that he hadn't enjoyed himself more in the past five years than he had those last few weeks, although he did feel a little bit guilty about pushing his Nanao-chan so hard. She'd looked positively done-in at the end of the day and Shunsui seriously hoped that Nanao had gone home for a night of well-deserved rest.

Lost in that thought for a moment, imagining Nanao lying in bed in a silk night-gown, hair loose and book in hand, Shunsui turned the final corner towards his office, and came face-to-face with reality. There, at the other end of the room outlined by the street-lights through the window, was his Nanao-chan, asleep, but in a place far less comfy than her own bed, and somewhat more desk-like.

Moving slowly between the desks and general chaos of the office, Shunsui glided as quietly as possible towards Nanao-chan. Entranced by the contours of her face and neck, outlined in the pale light flowing through the far window, Shunsui couldn't help but be struck by Nanao-chan's beauty. On one level he had always known that Nanao was an attractive woman, but at that moment Shunsui couldn't imagine anyone looking as lovely as his Nanao-chan did resting softly on her hands, back slowly rising and falling.

Coming to a stop beside her desk, Shunsui looked down at Nanao's sleeping form, studying the familiar features that would be etched forever in his mind. Dewy eyelids, cheeks flushed pale-pink with sleep, midnight hair, and tender lips all conspired together to give Nanao-chan a soft, vulnerable look. Unable to resist, Shunsui gently brushed his fingers down her cheek, thumb tracing the firm line of her jaw before hooking a stray strand of silky hair behind her ear.

Shaking himself mentally he drew back his hand. As much as his fingers ached to continue their whisper-soft exploration, Shunsui knew that if Nanao-chan woke up he would probably lose the aforementioned digits, and possibly part of the limb as well. Choosing instead to take the gentlemanly path, Shunsui shook Nanao-chan's shoulder lightly to wake her up.

* * *

Eyelids fluttering, Nanao slowly regained consciousness. She felt a warm hand on her shoulder and something hard against her face. Lifting her head up slightly, Nanao looked down at the desk in a daze, for a moment unable to figure out where she was, when suddenly she realized that she must've fallen asleep on her desk.

Quickly sitting upright Nanao grabbed her misplaced glasses and looked at the clock beside her (it was apparently a quarter after ten) before glancing to her right to see who had woken her up.

There, beside her, with a strangely tender and affectionate look on his face, was Kyouraku-sama. Slowly straightening up and smiling slightly, he broke the silence: "My dearest Nanao-chan should go home to bed. I'm afraid that she's been working far too hard, and will make herself sick if she doesn't take care of herself better."

Slightly perturbed at being caught asleep in the office Nanao replied "If I've been working too hard it's only because Kyouraku-sama has been far too frivolous with his share of the work. If I didn't have to spend my days hunting you down I would be far more relaxed. Besides which, given your newfound hobby of teasing me at all hours of the day I'm rather skeptical about how concerned you could possibly be of my well-being."

Suddenly serious, Kyouraku gazed down at Nanao, "I'm very concerned. My little cat hasn't had much rest lately and I would hate to think that she might be overworking herself. After all, I couldn't survive without my Nanao-chan any longer, and neither could the rest of this office, I'm sure."

Swallowing with her suddenly dry throat, Nanao could only stare at Kyouraku-sama's face, protests dying in her mouth at the sincere look in his eyes. That was perhaps why, moments later, she was unable to tear herself away as Kyouraku-sama slowly leaned in, eyes staring intently at her face as his lips neared hers.

A current of fear suddenly ran down Nanao's spine in warning, and she tore her eyes away from his and pushed her chair back. Standing quickly, trying not to look at Kyouraku-sama's startled face, Nanao quickly grabbed her bag and jacket from the rack and rushed out of the room and down the stairs.

* * *

Eyes fixed on the place that Nanao-chan had been only seconds before she had ran out the doorway, Shunsui felt a pang in his chest. He'd known that it was stupid to try to seriously kiss Nanao-chan – she had never given any indication whatsoever that she was attracted to him at all. Shunsui had known all that as he leaned towards her slowly, but had hoped all the same that perhaps there was a sliver of a chance that Nanao might secretly harbour feelings for him.

All things considered, Shunsui had expected rejection, and had known that it was the most likely course of events that could take place. All the same, however, there was a difference between rejection (Nanao rejected him several times a day...with her day-timer) and the look of horror on her face as she fled the room. He couldn't help but wonder what he'd done to make Nanao-chan dislike him so much that she would run away from him with that look on her face.

* * *

Well here's Ch. 5 and the first really romantic bit :D. Reviews would be much appreciated. Thanks to CrazyNinjaPenguin for beta-ing


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I might own bleach someday...if...you know...a pair of bunny slippers takes over the earth.

**Ch. 6**

Breathing hard, Nanao sagged against the cabinets in her kitchen. She'd panicked. As soon as she had felt Kyouraku-sama's warm breath, Nanao had bolted, scared witless in a way that she hadn't been in years. She knew that it was an absurd reaction; Kyouraku-sama tried to kiss her several times a week after all, but this time had been different. For a second she'd thought he was serious about it, that maybe he'd decided to stop teasing her and pursue her in earnest. That terrified Nanao more than she'd like to admit.

Turning around, Nanao took the kettle from the stove, filled it with water, and set it on the now-lit burner. She needed some tea, she needed to calm down, she needed...to figure out a way to face Kyouraku-sama again tomorrow. The ever-calm, composed Nanao had just run like a scared little girl from a man who was less fearsome than her pink fluffy bunny slippers, all because he'd been about to place his lips on hers.

Pulling out her hair clip and running her fingers through her hair in frustration, Nanao let out a huge sigh. She was confused, angry, and frustrated all at once. She'd thought that she was over this sort of thing; that she'd forgotten about the past, but for an instant it had all flashed back through her mind in an eerie replay of one of the worst episodes in her entire life. Jerkily she placed some tea leaves in the bottom of her cup and poured water on top of them before walking over to her table and sitting down.

Staring into her cup, Nanao had to admit that she couldn't really blame Kyouraku-sama. She'd always known what he was like, and more likely than not he had truly fancied himself attracted to her for a moment, which would account for the weird atmosphere. What really worried her was that for a second she'd wanted him to kiss her...had even thought she'd felt something stirring in her chest, which was impossible. Nanao had promised herself that she would never let another man like that inside her heart.

Losing herself in her mind, Nanao remembered her last year of college. For years she'd been looking after herself. School came first, always, and she'd honestly never been all that interested in the opposite sex either way, so it was no hardship to just focus on her studies. Then at the end of her course, just a couple of months before she finished, she'd met someone. He was charming, sociable, and fun. He flirted with everyone, but for some reason he'd chosen to ask her out. And for a few months it was like Nanao was caught in a dream.

He'd been wonderfully caring, sweet and tender, if a little absent-minded during their time together. Nanao had thought she'd understood for a little while why so many women gave up everything just to be with their special someone. He'd had bad habits of course...he drank more than his fair share and although she was his girlfriend, he'd never really stopped flirting, which should have been a warning sign.

Nanao should have expected it; perhaps she even had on one level or another. After all, she'd chosen to randomly show up at his apartment one night on impulse, something that she'd never done before. When another woman answered the door, the first thing that Nanao had felt wasn't shock, but numbness. She'd known immediately what had happened; how big a fool she'd been made to be.

As it turned out, he'd picked her specifically because he thought he could manipulate her. She was so _inexperienced_, so _predictable _that he'd thought he could play around on her indefinitely and she wouldn't find out, while he had a girlfriend his family would find _acceptable_. It was a stupid assumption really; it only proved that he hadn't taken the time to get to know her at all. For all her lack of experience and creature-of-habit ways, Nanao was no fool. She was clever and cunning, and only an idiot would try to trick her and expect to get away with it indefinitely, without repercussions.

After that Nanao had sworn to herself that she would never let herself be duped again. "Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me," and whatnot. Which was why she couldn't let herself open up to Shunsui. He had many good points, more than that past boyfriend had had, but he also possessed almost the same flaws, the same sort of personality. Men like him were her arch-enemies, and she had to remember that.

Her heart was on the line, after all. It'd been broken once, and she'd die before she let herself make the same mistake again. Nanao was strong, she always had been, but heart-break was something that could stop even the hardest souls in their tracks, and she honestly wasn't sure what would happen if she let it be so ill-used again. She wasn't sure that she'd be the same person afterwards. And that was something that well-and-truly terrified her (in a wake up in the middle of the night sort of way).

Resolved Nanao slowly sipped her tea, washed the cup out carefully, and got ready for bed. Tomorrow she'd go to work, do her job to absolute perfection, and never let anyone, least of all Kyouraku-sama, know that she'd wavered even for a second. She was the infallible Nanao Ise after all, and nothing as simple as a passing fancy could slow her down.

* * *

Jushiro shook his head at his friend. Shunsui had showed up at his house half an hour earlier, well on his way to drunk, and with several bottles of sake in tow. He'd then proceeded to sprawl across his floor and mope. Jushiro wasn't quite sure what about since Shunsui was the furthest thing from sensical he'd ever encountered when he was drunk, but it sounded like it had to do with his new assistant and a kiss. His guess was that Shunsui had been repulsed by the lovely Nanao Ise, although he was pretty sure that happened on a regular basis. Not at all something that warranted a serious pouting session on his rug if you asked him.

Settling himself onto his pillows, Jushiro pushed a cup of coffee and a glass of water across the table towards Shunsui. He was sure that his oldest friend wasn't going anywhere until he'd worked his problem out in his mind, but since this usually happened a great deal slower when there was alcohol in one's system, sobering up was definitely in order.

Another thirty minutes later Jushiro had gotten up twice to hide a bottle of sake from his...dearest...most troublesome...friend, and was now sitting across from someone who was at least halfway to sober. Maybe.

"The problem wasn't that she didn't let me kiss her Jushiro, I expected that, it's the way that she ran away from me. She looked absolutely terrified...I didn't know that I was so repulsive to her that Nanao would ever look at me like that." Shunsui explained, dolefully running his finger along the edge of his coffee cup.

"First of all, when I interviewed Nanao-san I was looking for someone who would be rather...resistant to your "charms", so it's to be expected that she wouldn't warm up to you. Secondly you've given her no particularly good reason to take your advances seriously. You tease her constantly, and maliciously, make her job a great deal harder than it needs to be, and flirt with every other woman in sight on top of all that. I think that you should leave Nanao alone and find someone else to pursue."

Flapping his arms wildly Shunsui exclaimed, "Jushiro! What a thing to say! My teasing is a sign of my affection for her, and my Nanao-chan thrives on a challenge. She'd be much less happy with a boss who was easy to work for, I'm sure. Besides...I don't want anyone other than her. I'm not flirting with her to pass the time, or for fun, or anything like that. I'm falling in love for her Jushiro, truly."

Gobsmacked, seconds ticked by slowly as Jushiro stared at his friend in astonishment. "...You certainly never do anything by halves, Shunsui. Are you sure you're serious? Because if you aren't..."

Shunsui cut Jushiro off halfway through, "I'm sure. I wouldn't be here if I wasn't" was Shunsui's simple reply.

"I wish you luck then Shunsui. You're certainly going to need it."

* * *

Sorry this took so long :(. I hope that this gives a bit more background to Nanao's resistance. Thanks to CrazyNinjaPenguin for beta-ing


	7. Chapter 7

**Ch. 7**

I apologize for how long it took me to get back to this story (I know it's been, quite literally, years since I've done anything significant with it.) It was a truly epic case of writer's block is all I have to say. I've done my best to edit this on my own, and I believe I've caught the worst of the errors, but as I have no beta reader at the moment, you'll have to forgive me if there are still mistakes.

* * *

The next morning found Nanao sitting quietly at her desk, far earlier than even she would normally be found for work. Despite her resolve the night before, she could honestly admit to being nervous. She'd woken up this morning from a strange, strange dream about falling cherry blossoms and hadn't been able to go back to sleep. Largely because she'd immediately remembered what today would bring.

And this, therefore, was the reason why she was trying valiantly to calm herself with a cup of hot water and honey in her empty department early in the morning. Nanao had thought about the situation over and over, turning it topsy-turvey, sideways, and even inside-out trying to decide what to do. Quite honestly, she still had absolutely no idea how she'd respond to the situation, mostly because she was having trouble deciding how Kyouraku-sama would respond himself.

In purest fact, her best hope was that he wouldn't respond at all, and the whole situation would pass like so much water under a bridge. This was (admittedly) a very, _very_, faint hope however since she'd never known anyone as obnoxiously tenacious as Kyouraku-sama.

Thinking about this particular aspect of her boss's personality brought a small smile to Nanao's lips. She thought back to their exchange in the park and how Kyouraku-sama had looked up at her, astonished and dripping wet in the fountain. Nanao had discovered on that day that the battlefield between the two of them was much evener than she would like. In fact, sometimes it occurred to her that if Kyouraku-sama's personality was more competitive or perverse instead of being a mix of gentleness, good-humour, and curiosity, it was unlikely that she would be able to maintain an upper-hand at all.

Thank goodness for small favours Nanao supposed. Mind you, she did have to admit that at least now her life could well and truly be called interesting.

With that thought Nanao looked down at her now-empty cup, set it aside, and pulled a stack of memo's towards herself. Since she'd already discerned that there was no way for her to predict today's outcome, all she could do was rely on her resolve and quick-wits to get her through whatever occurred. And the first step towards brazening her way through the whole thing was to appear exactly how she always did. That is to say, Nanao got down to work.

* * *

Shunsui stood in his office later that morning, looking out the window at the city-scape before me. He'd snuck into his office while his Nanao-chan was out looking for him. Maybe it wasn't his most courageous moment, but Shunsui had some pondering to do.

He'd been thinking things through ever since yesterday evening and he still hadn't made up his mind. The part of his heart that had ached as he'd watched Nanao's flight from the room last night told that he'd be a fool to try wooing Nanao. The part that couldn't imagine forfeiting the match before he'd begun said he'd be a fool to quit. His mind told him that there was plenty of evidence that she didn't, and perhaps couldn't care for him as he did for her, but then Shunsui remembered the park and the fountain that fateful afternoon, and knew that those few, perfect moments had meant something.

But in the end, Shunsui had never been a coward before, most especially not with his feelings. After all, Shunsui was patient, and even if it took him years to worm his way past Nanao's battle-hardened carapace, he knew that she was worth it. Of course, there was nothing to say that she'd cooperate with his goal in any way, and in all honesty, given her nature, she probably wouldn't. Shunsui had faith in his little cat though, and faith in what he'd seen in her. She was strong, loyal, and underneath it all, he thought, passionate in a way that might even put his own warm heart to shame. And that was something that he simply couldn't give up on.

* * *

Nanao sat tense at her desk, staring blindly at the computer in front of her, while all of her senses were directed with pin-point accuracy at the office behind her. She'd come back to find Kyouraku-sama in his office. Doing paperwork. He was in his office, doing paperwork that she hadn't forced upon him, and from the look of the pile on the corner of his desk, had been for awhile.

It was unnerving, distracting, and positively...sinister! That was the word. Sinister.

What on earth was Kyouraku-sama doing in there? If he was a man with a bend for cruelty she'd say that he was far angrier at her than she had imagined, and had completely bypassed the obvious way to torment her (mentioning last night) and had come up with a positively malevolent scheme to punish her.

But Kyouraku-sama wasn't that sort of man, and in Nanao's (fairly extensive) experience, there was no explanation for his current behaviour.

Peering at the clock on her PDA she decided to test the situation.

* * *

There were very few things in life that Shunsui detested more than revenue reports, but somehow he had managed to occupy himself with them for the last hour. Normally, there was no circumstance on this earth that could possibly have gotten him to come within a full office-length of the detestable pieces of paper, but Shunsui was trying something out.

It had stuck in his mind from his conversation with Jushiro last night that perhaps he had been making it unnecessarily difficult for Nanao-chan to do her job. Shunsui laboured under no delusions that simply reading and filling out documents would endear him to his Nanao, but perhaps there were worse starts.

He was so caught-up in his musings that he didn't notice the object of his thoughts standing 4 feet from his desk until she cleared her throat.

Looking up, Shunsui beamed at the girl in front of him "Ah, Nanao-chan. A vision of loveliness as ever! What can I do for you?"

"Good morning, Kyouraku-sama. I simply wanted to deliver these messages to you and ask whether you wanted to take your lunch at 12:00 or 1:00 today." More curious than the cool and collected words from his wonderfully professional Nanao-chan was the expression on her face as she handed him a cup of tea. Shunsui had a feeling that there was something subtly wrong, but he couldn't quite pinpoint it.

Accepting the cup, Shunsui replied "How thoughtful of my Nanao-chan to bring me tea. You're positively a mind-reader. I think that I'll go for lunch at 1:00. I'm almost done this report," and glanced down at the aforementioned document.

When he glanced back up he was immediately struck by what was wrong with Nanao's expression. She looked horror-stricken. Other people might not have picked up on the subtlety of the expression, but Shunsui fancied himself an expert observer of Nanao phenomenon.

"Yare, yare, now that's an expression I've never seen on my dearest Nanao-chan before."

Looking away from him quickly and then back again, Nanao replied "I'm not sure what you mean Kyouraku-sama. What expression are you talking about."

"Why, Nanao-chan looks as if I suggested she throw away her PDA or something equally terrible and unthinkable." As Shunsui spoke the words he had a feeling like every ounce of his being depended on the answer. It was a peculiar sensation to say the least.

"I think Kyouraku-sama must be imagining things. I understand that doing actual work at work puts a terrible strain on your delicate mental faculties however, so I'm willing to ignore it this one time," Nanao briskly snapped out as she turned to walk from the room.

Standing up from his desk slowly Shunsui made his way around the side, speaking softly, "Come now Nanao-chan. I have many flaws, but observation has never been one of them. There's no hiding from me, and we both know that there'll be no living with me until you give me an answer."

Stopping her movement with tense shoulders, eyes flashing annoyance and a resignation, Nanao replied somewhat huffily, "Fine. If you must know it's positively surreal to find you in here, doing your work, and volunteering to _remain_ at work when you had a clear option for escape. It is...worrying."

"I would have thought that you'd be thrilled to see me willingly and gainfully occupied without the threat of one of your harsh punishments Nanao-chan. I had thought that my "lackadaisical attitude" was one of your key irritants in life." Shunsui said, eyebrows raised, arms behind him, resting back against the front of his desk. "After witnessing my Nanao-chan sleeping exhausted on her desk last night, I thought that reforming my habits was the least apology I could offer."

Eyes wide with astonishment Nanao cleared her throat uncomfortably "Although I...appreciate the effort, there is nothing Kyouraku-sama needs to apologize for. It is my job to make life easier for you, not yours to make mine simpler, and there is nothing so wrong with Kyouraku-sama's behaviour that he need reform himself for my sake."

Shunsui just opened and closed his mouth, utterly shocked by what he had just heard. Not only had Nanao let him know that she was willing to forget about last night (albeit indirectly), but that she also didn't "completely" disapprove of him personally.

Obviously irritated and embarrassed by his lack of response, a blushing and irate Nanao shot back, "Of course, out of politeness I won't mention Kyouraku-sama's thoughtlessness, unprofessionalism, vagaries, eccentricities, or tendency to overindulge in everything from sake to naps."

"Ack! Nanao-chan truly shoots to kill. I'm mortally wounded by your cruelty! Here I thought that we were soon to begin a lovely romance scene where you profess your undying love and admiration for me, but you were cold-heartedly setting me up for a terrible blow" Shunsui cried out, throwing his arm across his face and falling to his knees on the floor.

Sniffing in a dignified manner as she walked from the room, Nanao replied "Do be serious Kyouraku-sama, and kindly hand that revenue report you have so _thoughtfully_ took it upon yourself to complete to me before you go for lunch." Stopping momentarily at the door, she turned back to him and said in her own simple and straightforward manner, "I have had some months to become accustomed to your habits Kyouraku-sama, and although I disapprove of several and hope nightly for you to gain some sort of sense, I must admit that the idea of having to re-acclimate myself to a "new" boss holds little appeal to me."

With that she was gone, leaving Shunsui kneeling in front of his desk with a silly sort of smile on his face. Although he was sure that Nanao hadn't intended to give anything away with the exchange, she had given him something quite valuable. She'd told him that at least she didn't despise him, and in that, there was some hope.

* * *

Thanks to the people that have already commented on the story! Any feedback at all is much appreciated :).


	8. Chapter 8

_**This chapter's a little bit longer than my usual ones, but I liked how it worked together, so I left it as is. Once again, I think I've caught most of the grammatical errors, but I apologize if my eyes missed some.**_

* * *

**Ch. 8**

Jushiro sat on his veranda, worrying. It'd been nearly two weeks since Shunsui's declaration of feelings for Nanao-san, and Jushiro had heard nothing more on the subject. It wasn't completely unlike Shunsui not to tell Jushiro about his romantic life, in fact it was fairly normal, but not when he was serious about someone. They might not have heart-to-heart male bonding sessions or somesuch, but there would at least be further evidence of moping in Jushiro's garden if things had gone badly, or celebratory drinking or drunk phone-calls if they were going well. Complete radio silence from station Shunsui Kyouraku-san was...atypical.

Shunsui might pride himself on being unpredictable, but to his oldest friend who had been inducted into the mysteries of Shunsui's mind decades ago, there was method to madness. This was why Jushiro was worried. There was only one thing that could explain this inexplicable behaviour, which was that Shunsui was in the middle of scheming about something (never a good sign as if he hadn't told Jushiro about it, it was probably because Shunsui thought that he'd disapprove), and Jushiro wanted to know what it was.

Thinking ahead in his calendar, Jushiro had an idea about how to find out. To really see what was going on, he'd have to see the two of them together and there was an event coming up that would provide a perfect opportunity for just such an observation. Smiling slightly Jushiro picked up his cell and called Nanao-san's office number.

On the third ring the phone picked up and a crisp voice said "Good morning, this is Nanao Ise, how can I help you?"

"Good morning Nanao-san, this is Jushiro Ukitake. Do you have a moment? I'd like to discuss something with you."

"Certainly Jushiro-sama. What would you like to discuss?"

"As I'm sure you're aware, our company's Shareholder's Gala is taking place at the end of the month. I know that Shunsui is attending, but I also wanted to ask you to attend as well, Nanao-san."

There was a moment of pause, and a surprised Nanao-san replied "Me, sir? I'm not sure what I could possibly assist with through my attendance."

"If it's not too much of an imposition, Nanao-san, I'd be delighted to see you there. I'm worried, for one thing, that Shunsui will try to escape like he did last year (before his speech I might add), and for another I truly believe that you should be there. You've been doing a simply tremendous job Nanao-san, and I believe that as our best employee, you would be a marvellous addition to the event, and there's someone there I'd like to introduce you to."

"Ah, well in that case, it's no imposition at all Jushiro-sama. I'd be delighted to attend."

"Excellent! I'm sure you have all the details already, so I won't bother you by confirming them. I look forward to seeing you there, Nanao-san."

"Likewise, sir. Is that everything?"

"Indeed it is. Have a good day. I trust that Shunsui isn't giving you any trouble?"

"As he isn't in yet, he is giving me no trouble whatsoever. Have a good day Jushiro-sama."

With that Jushiro ended the call, and set down his phone. Leaning back he closed his eyes and smiled to himself in a self-satisfiedly.

* * *

Hanging up the phone on her end, Nanao couldn't help but have mixed feelings about her agreement to attend the shareholder's gala. Nanao had thus far avoided seeing Kyouraku-sama outside work, mostly on purpose. For one thing, Nanao had a bad feeling that she'd end up babysitting/chasing after Kyouraku-sama the entire night, and for another, she'd been going out of her way to keep out of "tempting" situations, where a repeat of that late night in the office could possibly happen. Still, she could hardly say know since Jushiro-sama had gone out of his way to invite her.

Nanao flushed with pleasure remembering his compliments about her abilities. Some women might like to be called "gorgeous" or admired for their fashion sense, but to Nanao being complimented on her intelligence or skills was the highest praise. She enjoyed being called beautiful as much as the next person, but since her looks had never mattered to her very much, she likewise didn't put much stock into compliments about them. Looking up from the note she was writing to herself about the event in her day-timer, she noticed that Kyouraku-sama was wandering up the aisle, stopping to chat with people along his way.

Glancing at her watch, she noticed it was 10:30am, which made sense. It was about the time Kyouraku-sama had been getting in lately. He was still the same as always in many ways; he could routinely be found napping in various ill-advised places and drinking during the work day at the slightest provocation, but Nanao had noticed that lately, he came into work more or less at the same time, meaning she didn't have to waste time calling around and searching for him. Also, more interestingly, Nanao had the feeling that even when he was hiding from work, he wasn't hiding from her. Maybe he'd just given up on outsmarting her, or maybe he was hiding places she could find him on purpose. It was hard to tell either way, but Nanao couldn't help being curious about the subtle changes in habits.

Turning away from her desk, Nanao leaned over and reached down to open the bottom filing cabinet behind her desk, intent on retrieving some documents that needed to be faxed to a client. When she turned back she almost jumped in surprise. Kyouraku-sama had parked himself in between her chair and her desk without her noticing. Holding on to her composure, she tipped her head up impatiently and said, "Good morning Kyouraku-sama. Is there something I can do for you?"

Kyouraku-sama replied in such a cheerful voice that Nanao couldn't help but grind her teeth. "I just wanted to wish my dearest assistant Nanao-chan a good morning and compliment her choice of shirt today. The colour suits you wonderfully!"

Glancing down at her shirt (it was pale pink, a fact that she had not thought about this morning when she put it on,) she looked up again, "Thank-you Kyouraku-sama. If that's everything, may I have my desk back please? Unlike some people I'm rather busy at the moment."

"Certainly! I wouldn't want to disturb my industrious Nanao-chan!" And with that, a suspiciously quiescent Kyouraku-sama, slid out from between her desk and her and wandered into his office.

Turning back after watching his progress Nanao looked down at her desk and noticed something. A box. A heart-shaped box. Looking at it suspiciously, Nanao slowly slid the top off the box, and peered inside, where rows and rows of wonderful looking dark and milk chocolate cubes waited, along with a card. Nanao considered returning the box without looking at the card, since she was quite sure that only one person in her acquaintance could possibly be responsible for this, but her curiosity got the better of her, and she reached for the innocent-looking piece of paper.

Inside was written:

_**To my wonderful little cat-chan:**_

_**My love for you is as undying and eternal as the sun, **_

_**Your lovely violet eyes, and beloved day-timer the light of my days,**_

_**And your quick wit and audacity the spice in my life. **_

_**My heart beats for only you:**_

_**Shunsui**_

Inexplicably touched by the card, Nanao snorted at herself, before closing the card and setting it back inside the box.

Standing up, Nanao grabbed the box and marched into Shunsui's office. "I cannot possibly accept this gift Kyouraku-sama. Therefore, I respectfully return it to you."

"No, no, Nanao-chan! I bought it for you and I refuse to take it back. Did you read see what was in it?"

Impatiently Nanao sighed, "Yes, I saw that there were chocolates and a card inside. I...appreciate...the gesture, but it's terribly unprofessional of you to offer your employee a gift for Valentine's Day, and I refuse to compound it by accepting it. Take it back, if you please!"

"Now now, it's not very polite of you to refuse a gift offered in the spirit of my favourite holiday. Besides, we both know you love chocolate, but I, however, am nowhere near as attached to it as you are. It's only logical that my dear little cat be the one to eat it, therefore" Shunsui protested with a dramatic arm wave. How any man could have such a flair for the stage and yet have found his way into corporate leadership was completely inexplicable to Nanao.

That aside, "You just called me that again! What on earth do you mean by calling me "your little cat?" Nanao-chan, dearest Nanao-chan, MY dearest Nanao-chan are all bad enough. I will kindly thank you to keep your absurd nicknames to yourself." With that Nanao snapped the box down on Kyouraku-sama's desk and walked out of the office.

Later, looking down onto her keyboard tray and finding the red box, once again, in her possession, Nanao reflected that she had misjudged the seemingly standard exchange. She had assumed it was one of Kyouraku-sama's usual shenanigans, but apparently it was the opening declaration of the game "hot potato." In the past four hours the innocuous box of chocolates had been passed back and forth, with varying levels of frustration and playfulness, between the two combatants six times.

Nanao left her desk to go for lunch, and it mysteriously turned up in her handbag.

An hour later, in spite of the fact that she had just snuck it into Kyouraku-sama's top desk drawer, she found it waiting beside her cup of tea in the conference room.

And now, even after having gone out of her way to hide it in the glove box of Kyouraku-sama's car, in as stealthy a manner as any normal non-corporate spy is capable, it was, once again, on her desk. Miffed beyond all reason, Nanao stalked over to Rangiku-san's desk, deposited the box there (after removing the embarrassing card for later...disposal) without explanation, and went to re-label the boxes of documents in the far storage room.

* * *

Tsking to himself, Shunsui watched surreptitiously as Nanao disappeared down the hallway, before following at a more leisurely pace a few minutes later, stealing the chocolates back off of Matsumoto-san's desk before she even noticed they were there. Nanao may win most of their exchanges, but this one, Shunsui was determined, he would be triumphant.

Leaning silently against the doorway of the storeroom, Shunsui observed Nanao-chan. She was in a truly fine temper, muttering to herself, while writing on the boxes in bold strokes. Although her back was to him, Shunsui was sure that her eyes would be flashing violet fire, her cheeks flushed and lips cutely pursed. Smiling slightly to himself, Shunsui quietly walked into the room, coming to a stop directly behind her.

In a low voice Shunsui called out to Nanao, startling her, "Ah ah my lovely Nanao-chan. My gift is for you, not Matsumoto-san. I'm quite hurt! Maybe I've just not demonstrated my sentiments to you properly; perhaps a kiss will convince you of my feelings."

* * *

Nanao whipped around from her position on top of the step ladder filled with the intent to smack her offensive boss directly on top of his head with her book, but Kyouraku-sama, displaying his uncharacteristically, and frighteningly quick reflexes grabbed her right wrist, holding it still beside her head. A short second later, he also caught her left hand as she raised it to push him away. Nanao realized, just at that particular moment, that she was trapped in a corner, back against a stack of shelves and hands held gently, but firmly, to each side of her head.

What also occurred to her was that she'd never really noticed how tall and...solid, Kyouraku-sama was. He quite literally filled up her entire field of vision; his hair carelessly swept back in a tail away from his face, eyes mischievous, and a small smile playing on his lips. Nanao swallowed thickly, heart pounding, and cheeks heated, words caught in her throat as Kyouraku-sama slowly lifted one foot onto the first step of the ladder and pushed himself up until his face was mere inches from hers. So close, in fact, that Nanao had to tilt her face down to maintain eye contact.

Nanao watched as Kyouraku, from his vantage slightly below her, raised himself towards her lips slowly, ever so slowly until barely a breath of space separated his lips fro hers. Nanao found herself wishing that he'd move quicker and slower at the same time. He was closing the distance between them at an absolutely glacial pace, but it was all still happening too quickly for her to wrap her mind around. Nanao almost couldn't stand the tension! Unable to focus between the feelings swallowing up her sanity and the heat of his hands on her wrists and his breath on her face, Nanao let her lashes fall.

Expecting to feel his lips (soft lips, she thought; they always looked so enticing and firm) on hers, she was surprised when she felt them whisper along her cheekbone before pressing tenderly to her forehead, and Kyouraku's hands barely slide along her arms and down her back as he stepped back down from the step-ladder.

Eyes shooting open, Nanao saw Kyouraku standing halfway across the short distance of the room from her. Barely keeping herself from gasping for breath Nanao opened her mouth, about to utter something that she was sure that she'd regret momentarily, when she was saved by Kyouraku himself.

"You asked me why I'd called you "little cat" earlier. The answer my dear Nanao-chan, is that you remind me of nothing so much as a graceful little cat. Nanao-chan sits quiet and serene, watching as the chaos of the world rolls by, acts adorably flustered when caught doing something silly, and when riled up, she pulls her paw back and delivers a swift and decisive slap to the top of the offender's head." Smiling a grin so mischievous and wildly beautiful that it stole Nanao's breath away all over again, Kyouraku finished by adding "and I very much suspect, that if a person could learn Nanao-chan's sweet spots, she would purr ever so prettily."

With that Kyouraku placed his hands in his pockets and walked out of the room, whistling a jaunty tune. Nanao sank down to sit on the step ladder and placed trembling fingers against her forehead.

* * *

Shunsui smiled to himself as he walked down the hallway and away from the storage room. He wondered when she'd notice that he'd left the chocolates beside her on the stepladder.

* * *

_**I know this is a little bit of a cop-out on the kiss-scene, but I'll do it properly in the next couple chapters, I promise! Hopefully it's cute enough to satisfy; this is really my first stab at romance. Any comments or feedback would be greatly appreciated!**_


	9. Chapter 9

Yatta Yatta Yatta, things that normally go at the start of chapters.

**Ch. 9**

Six days later, on February 20th, Nanao found herself standing beside the photocopier tediously scanning documents, contemplating her strategy for the upcoming Shareholders Gala. Ukitake-sama had been kind enough to invite her, and his faith in her abilities was flattering. She didn't want to let him down, but she was frankly worried about how to keep her errant boss in line (politely, since she couldn't exactly drag him around bodily by one ear in front of the financial backers of the company), make a good impression, and mingle at the same time. A further wrench was the fact that she was going to have to find and buy an appropriate dress and whatnot since she was quite sure she owned nothing of the sort. Nanao hated shopping – she could never seem to find what she was looking for. Perhaps she should find someone to help her?

Nanao would have to think about it either way. Not now of course, since the device before her had just decided to jam in the middle of a 200-page job.

Sighing Nanao bent down and started pulling the machine apart. Photocopiers were terrible machines. Awful, nefarious, and malevolent in nature, and second only to printers in their capricious and completely wilful rebellion against doing what they were supposed to. And yes, she needed exactly that many ten cent words to describe the level of frustration they caused to anyone that ever had to use one.

Scratch that - third in line if you included Kyouraku-sama in the list.

Nanao was in the middle of trying to free a scrunched paper from the photocopiers insides when she felt a presence directly behind her. Knowing immediately who it was she chose to ignore the prickling of all her nerve endings with a stab of irritation and continued with what she'd been doing without comment. Nanao couldn't keep a scowl from creasing her forehead and her jaw from clenching, however.

Moments passed, each one longer than the last before a predictable Kyouraku-sama asked, "What's this you're doing Nanao-chan? I'm almost positive we employ people to do that very thing. Here, leave that poor machine be and come for lunch with me!"

"It's almost universally recognized as being rude to hover over people's shoulder's Kyouraku-sama, so if you would kindly desist and remove yourself from my personal bubble I'd appreciate it. As it happens, I was getting a head start on some reports so that I don't fall behind by missing the end of next Friday at the Shareholder's Gala, and I wouldn't go for lunch with you, even if that weren't the case."

"How delightful Nanao-chan," exclaimed Shunsui completely ignoring her rebuttal to his lunch invitation, and her request to find someplace else to stand. "I didn't know that you would be going to the Gala! I can just imagine it now: You in a beautiful dress, hair down and glasses removed, outshining all the other women effortlessly. I, dashing and debonair as always, sweep you off your feet. We dance the night away, and at the end we remove ourselves back to my apartment and..."

Flushing Nanao quickly interrupted, "On pain of death you will not finish that thought. If there is anything I am sure of in this world, it is that nothing of the kind will happen at the Gala or any other time for that matter! The only way that Kyouraku-sama could possibly sweep me off my feet is to knock me over bodily with broom."

Collecting her papers Nanao turned and walked around her boss. "Now if you are quite through with amusing yourself at my expense, I'm going back to being productive, something that I only wish you would do."

* * *

Later that same day Nanao was almost ready to explode from exasperation. She should have never mentioned to Kyouraku-sama that she was going to the Gala. It was an almost unforgivable misstep in strategy. It gave him time to prepare counter-measures and escape plans, for one thing, and even worse, the man would not shut up about it.

She'd had to tell him that she already had an outfit prepared (an enormous lie), to get him to sit through a conference call peaceably - although poutily - since he kept calling her in to show her dresses online that he wanted her to wear. This meant that she would actually have to go shopping for something, sooner rather than later instead of procrastinating over it. Nanao also felt guilty since she'd accidentally "roared" at Hanataro-san when he'd come to fetch her that last time to view Kyouraku-sama's latest form-fitting, low-cut, cleavage (ha!) inducing and disgustingly pink choice. It's like he thought that they were going clubbing, not to a high-class event. She wouldn't put it past him to go buy something for her and deposit it on her desk.

It was better for everyone if she just got the whole problem out of her way so there were no more by-stander casualties.

Thinking wistfully of her quiet evening, reading a book in a long, hot bath, and saying goodbye to it, she walked over to Rangiku-san's desk.

"Rangiku-san, may I ask a favour?" Nanao asked in as friendly and polite a tone as she could manage.

"Nanao-chan! Of course, of course! What can I do for you?" Rangiku-san replied, almost beaming good-humour as she snapped her cell-phone closed (Rangiku-san had a well-known habit of sending tormenting text-messages to a man named Toushiro Hitsugaya.) Whether they were dating or Rangiku-san was just something between a stalker and a friend was something of a mystery since nobody had ever met him, and her version of the relationship could hardly be trusted since she claimed he was a "grown-up midget, with adorable white hair, beautiful blue eyes, and a personality so stiff she couldn't help but poke him."

Steeling her nerves, Nanao ventured "I need some help shopping for an outfit. I've been invited to the Shareholders Gala, and I'm afraid I'm really not familiar with the best places to look for dresses. I thought perhaps you might have some recommendations for me?"

After the predictably boisterous response, Rangiku-san "Call me Ran-chan! If we're going to be friends you'll have to loosen up a bit, hey!" had bundled Nanao up and almost bodily ejected the two of them from the building.

Luckily, Nanao had figured that would happen, and finished her work before she went over. Still...it was only 4:30. Leaving work early made her itchy, but it was for a greater cause she supposed.

"How about this one Nana-san? It's not as revealing as the last one (although if you ask me it was much sexier that way), but it's still got a little something" exclaimed Rangiku-san as she held out yet another dress.

Nanao accepted the dress with little enthusiasm and then stepped into the dressing room. "I'm sorry for dragging you along like this Rangiku-san. I'm afraid I'm not a very good shopper."

"Nonsense Nanao-san! You just haven't had anyone show you the fun side of it yet. I still think you should choose something that shows a bit of cleavage though – that's the lucky thing about not being chesty – you can wear just about anything!"

"Ah...that's true I suppose," replied Nanao, unsure if the other woman was needling her on purpose to get a rise, or if had been honestly meant. "Still, it's a bit out of my comfort zone...especially since Ukitake-sama mentioned he wants to introduce me to someone, and I'll have to make a good example on Kyouraku-sama's behalf as well."

"Oooh lucky! You get to see Ukitake-sama. I have a thing for light-haired men y'know!" Rangiku-san called through the curtain. "Aren't you done yet?"

"Almost. I will admit Ukitake-sama is a handsome man, but he looks so frail I can't help but worry about his health every time I see him." Murmured Nanao as she stepped out of the change room, smoothing her hands down the body of the dress.

"Now that's the ticket Nanao! That dress is perfect. Even you have to agree!"

Blushing Nanao admired the lovely drape and detail. "It's certainly the best of the lot at any rate."

"We're taking it. Now on to get some shoes, underwear, and accessories!"

Nanao closed the curtain of the change-room once more, groaning at the reminder that according to Rangiku-san they weren't even close to finished.

* * *

Relaxing in a hot shower later (much later as Rangiku-san had insisted they go out for drinks afterwards – an educational experience) Nanao felt rather pleased with the evening overall, but unsettled. Rangiku-san was actually pleasant company and Nanao could appreciate her energy and enthusiasm, but also couldn't help but feel that the woman actually had a shrewd sense for other people that Nanao had missed up until now.

She couldn't put her finger on a specific time or thing that Rangiku-san had said, but sometimes it had seemed like she knew how conflicted Nanao was in her thoughts about her boss. Or perhaps it would be better to say that Rangiku-san kept reminding her subtly of Kyouraku-sama throughout the evening – not the infuriating man was ever far from her mind anyways – as if trying to gauge Nanao-s feelings. Nanao had a suspicion that Rangiku-san knew how attracted she was to Kyouraku-sama, knew about the butterflies he brought up in her stomach whenever she thought of the scene in the store-room or that night in the office, and maybe even knew that Nanao had vowed to close herself off to those feelings to protect herself, her sanity and her well-being.

Mind you, it was hard to say for sure since Rangiku-san had a habit of being intense for just an instant and then slip away into her normal boisterous self a moment later. Which was almost more disconcerting rather than less, somehow, thought Nanao as she stepped out of the shower and started toweling herself off before slipping into her pajamas.

* * *

Shunsui was stretched out on a bench in his garden thinking about his good luck in life to have a friend like Jushiro. Not that the man would ever admit it, but he was positive that Jushiro had invited Nanao to the Gala on his behalf – both to watch over his friend and Nanao, and to give Shunsui a chance to do his best. Shunsui had no intention of wasting this chance, which meant that he was going to have to be a little bit serious.

He already knew that Nanao was immune to flattery, gifts, and, as far as Shunsui could tell, his charm in general.

Suddenly Shunsui smiled. He'd just had an idea, and if he could work it out...Nanao wouldn't even see him coming until it was too late. Which was for the best, since the only way to capture his kitten was by surprise.

* * *

Please rate and review! I proof-read my own work in this chapter, so mistakes may have, and probably were made.


	10. Chapter 10

I don't own bleach or the characters, etc, etc.

**Ch. 10**

Nanao looked at herself nervously in the mirror. She had just left Ran-chan's tender mercies (Nanao had been forbidden to refer to her as "Rangiku" again under threat of having to spend the night looking like a hooker from hell), and she had to say that Ran-chan was a magician with fashion and make-up. Although the other woman could drive a person to distraction almost as easily as Kyouraku-sama when she put her mind to it, she was incredibly warm and lively, and most of all there seemed very little she wouldn't do for someone she considered a friend.

In this case, she'd put up with Nanao's fidgeting and worries, summarily ignored them all, gotten Nanao ready for the big night and then promptly booted her out the door to collect her boss; a task she was supposed to be doing instead of meditating over her own reflection.

Turning on her heel Nanao did her best not to break an ankle in her absurd (but beautiful) shoes or tip over as she moved purposefully down the hallway towards Kyouraku-sama's office.

* * *

Shunsui was just pouring himself a glass of pre-party sake when he heard movement outside of his doorway. Looking up he saw his Nanao-chan and started to smile at her before his very breath froze in his chest.

She was a picture of loveliness; even better than any dream or fantasy he'd ever had. Better because instead of an image of his mind this was the real thing, as evidenced by the fact that Nanao-chan still had her ever-present glasses. She wore a sleeveless Indigo dress cut to just under the knee with a shallow boat-neck that formed her body all the way to her hips as snugly as if it had been made just for her. There was a slight amount of tastefully done make-up (with a pink lipstick so sweet it was all he could do to keep from kissing it from her lips) and although her hair was still up, instead of its usual severe style it was pulled into a soft bun under her right ear.

Someone could have shot Shunsui dead at that very moment and he would've died a happy man.

Rising from his desk Shunsui walked towards Nanao in an almost predatory gait. "You stole my heart right out of my chest Nanao-chan! Your loveliness never ceases to amaze me. My little cat looks good enough to eat up." Stopping before Nanao he reached out towards her shoulder, causing her to twitch most adorably, but Shunsui merely picked a feather off of her dress and blew it away.

Eyeing Kyouraku-sama warily Nanao replied "Thank you for the compliment Kyouraku-sama. You look quite presentable as well."

"Quite presentable! Why your praise almost draws a blush from me Nanao-chan. I didn't believe you ever noticed my appearance in the slightest."

Nanao stepped back towards the door. "I don't put a lot of thought into appearance, as I'm sure you well know Kyouraku-sama. Still, good manners dictate that a returned compliment is correct in this instance. Besides, I know that you are well aware of your own appeal – you don't need me to tell you you're a handsome man. Now if you please it's more than time for us to leave."

As he watched with a bemused smile his Nanao-chan turned and walked back through the doorway, causing Shunsui's heart to almost stop for the second time in as many minutes. That sinful piece of fabric that clung to Nanao like a second skin didn't have a back to speak of and yards of Nanao's delicious skin was laid bare. It was enough to give a man his age a heart attack, Shunsui thought as he shook his head and followed his little cat out of the building. But if he was to die, what a view!

* * *

An hour later Nanao stood, drink in hand, and feeling somewhat star-struck at the Gala. The people were gorgeous, Kyouraku-sama...er...the food...looked delicious, and the room was enormous. So far she'd been introduced to 10 times as many people as she could possibly remember the names for, had managed to wrangle her slippery boss up to the front for the opening speech (on time even!), and was now waiting for Ukitake-sama to introduce her to this mysterious personage.

Speaking of, she could see him making his way towards her this very moment, with an ancient and distinguished looking gentleman beside him.

"Nanao-san, I'd like to introduce you to Genryusai Shigekuni Yamamoto, the Chairperson of the board of trustees and retired CEO of the company. Yama-ji, may I introduce you to Nanao Ise, Shunsui's personal assistant and tamer" Ukitake-sama beamed at her.

Trying to control a random burst of butterflies in her stomach Nanao bowed as gracefully as she could in her present get-up (oh to not be in these infernal heels!) and introduced herself: "It is an honour to meet you Yamamoto-kaicho."

"I've heard a great deal about you Nanao-kun. I understand that you have lasted an almost infinite amount of time as compared to your predecessors as Shunsui's personal assistant. Highly commendable" rumbled Yamamaoto-sama replied. Although the man looked truly ancient Nanao could acutely feel the power and intellect the man possessed.

"Thank you for your consideration Yamamoto-kaicho. I merely strive to complete my job with the care it demands" Nanao somehow managed to get out through the frog in her throat.

Happily Ukitake-sama broke in at that moment "there, now do you believe me Yama-ji? I promised that I'd produce the being responsible for the almost prodigious amount of work Shunsui has been producing this past year", and then smiled apologetically at Nanao: "You see Nanao-chan, Yama-ji and I have been watching over our beloved chronic under-performer for many years now and despaired of ever finding a proper motivation for him."

Nanao smiled politely back at Ukitake-sama, "I'm sure that as his oldest friend and mentor you have both experienced your share of frustration. Hopefully I will be able to meet your expectations and continue watching over Kyouraku-sama."

Yamamoto-sama merely nodded silently, his expression thoughtful. Nanao had a feeling that he only spoke when he felt like it was important, and expected people to listen and obey at those times.

Nanao maintained as professional an expression as possible as a small pause interrupted the conversation, followed by a hard left-turn by Ukitake-sama by way of an observation. "Yama-ji, do you recognize that man that Shunsui appears to be preparing to murder? I confess I don't recognize him at all."

Nanao looked across the room to see who Ukitake-sama was referring to and promptly felt the bottom drop out of her stomach.

"I don't believe that I do, which is a rarity" was Yamamoto-kaicho's reply as he raised his bushy eyebrows quizzically.

Almost unable to tear her eyes from the horrific car-crash in front of her Nanao excused herself in a hopefully non-suspicious manner "Ah, I'm afraid I do. Please excuse me for a moment Yamamoto-kaicho, Ukitake-sama", Nanao walked as briskly as she could without seeming to towards Kyouraku-sama and Mori-kun.

* * *

When the unassuming young man had come to stand beside Shunsui he'd thought nothing of it, making small-talk of no importance as was his habit. That was until he noticed that "Hiroki Morita-kun's" eyes were fixed unerringly on Nanao-chan, with an expression that said he was stripping her in his mind. A flare of jealousy and icy fury kindled in Shunsui's gut, but he gave as little outward inclination as possible.

"Ah ah Hiroki-kun, I'm afraid staring is rude. Someone will take note of it shortly if you can't tear your eyes away, although I can hardly blame you as Nanao-chan is certainly exquisite" Shunsui said mildly.

Breaking his gaze momentarily Hiroki-kun smiled an unpleasantly lascivious smile in reply "I apologize. It's just that if someone had told me Ise-san (at this the man nodded in Nanao-chan's direction) would look like that in a few short years I wouldn't have let her go so easily."

Unbeknownst to the other man Shunsui's entire focus was on him to a pin-point accuracy. "It sounds like you're...acquainted...with Nanao-chan. Were you perhaps an old friend of hers?"

"Acquainted...you could say that" said Hiroki-kun, again with that detestable smile.

Before Shunsui could press the matter further he saw Nanao-chan, HIS Nanao-chan striding purposefully towards them. Schooling his expression to appear as normal as he could manage he waited for her to stop before them. "Ah, Nanao-chan! We were just talking about you. I believe that you are acquainted with Hiroki-kun?"

"I apologize for interrupting your conversation Kyouraku-sama, Mori-kun" Nanao replied expression distinctly chilly. "Yes, Mori-kun and I were...friends...in University and graduated together, although I had not expected to meet him again." Switching her attention to the other man she politely enquired "I hope you have been well?"

Stepping close enough to Nanao that Shunsui wanted to snatch him away Hiroki-kun smiled a good-humoured smile (completely unlike the one from only moments before): "Yes I have been well Ise-san, and I can see that you have been as well. I'm hurt however; saying that we were friends is a bit of an understatement don't you think?"

Colouring ever-so-slightly and looking distinctly uncomfortable to an eye as familiar with Nanao-chan's form as Shunsui's Nanao stepped away from Hiroki-kun and towards Shunsui (a balm on his ever-dwindling temper). "I suppose you could consider it an understatement; however it would be an overstatement to say that you are even so much as a friend to me now. It was pleasant making your acquaintance once again, however I'm afraid that I have some business with Kyouraku-sama."

"Yare yare, more work when you should be playing Nanao-chan? Such a hard task-master." Shunsui turned to the other man, excusing himself not for the sake of the man before him (who did not realize how lucky he was to be escaping unscathed if what Shunsui was reading from the changes in his Nanao-chan's expression and body language was correct). "Please excuse us Hiroki-kun. Enjoy the remainder of your evening."

"And you as well Kyouraku-san," said Hiroki-kun, never taking his eyes off Nanao. "I would very much like to renew our "acquaintance" Nanao-chan. I hope we see each other again."

At this Nanao merely inclined her head and lead Shunsui away, or rather he lead her, one hand on the small of her back. That she allowed it to remain would have normally pleased Shunsui greatly, but in this case he couldn't help but see it as a further indication that something was wrong.

* * *

As Kyouraku-sama lead her away from the crowd and onto a small balcony Nanao's mind raced. What should she say to explain pulling him away from Mori-san? She didn't want to explain the whole sordid history, but she knew that Kyouraku-sama would want an explanation for the quite-frankly out of character display. Her emotions twisted her stomach like laundry being rung out. She despised how small and vulnerable she felt just at that moment, and how frantic. Her only comfort was the warmth of her boss beside her, but even that made her feel angrier with herself for needing it.

They came to stand side by side quietly and neither moved for several long minutes. Nanao settled her mind as best as she could, trying to find some semblance of a complete thought. She appreciated Kyoruaku-sama's sensitivity in this moment. Anyone else would have tried to pry, but he just waited patiently for her to collect herself.

"Kyouraku-sama, I apologize for that unseemly display. I would like to offer you an explanation and you certainly deserve one, but it's honestly not something that I want to talk about. Certainly not here at any rate."

Turning to he caught her gaze for a moment with his, and all of the rioting feelings inside Nanao stilled. In the moonlight and as close as they were Nanao could see that Kyouraku-sama understood what had happened, even with that small amount of information. He raised his hand slowly, cupped it along one side of her face, rubbing his thumb over the wrinkles between her brows. "I see shadows in your eyes Nanao-chan and I can't bear to see them. You don't need to explain, and if I can ever be a vehicle for your rescue don't hesitate to use me as such."

At that instant Nanao could have cried she was so relieved. As frustrated and infuriated as Kyouraku-sama could make her feel, just now she deeply appreciated his depth of understanding and empathy. Drawing a shaky breath she got herself under control as best she could and gave him as firm a smile as she could manage. "Thank you Kyouraku-sama."

"Ah Nanao-chan, don't look at me like that. I'm still a man you know and I only have so much self-control when it comes to my beautiful little cat" Kyouraku-sama replied, smiling down at her wryly, lowering his hand and turning to lean on the railing, slouching over his elbows and looking up at the night sky.

Nanao joined him in that posture a moment later, the cool breeze before them and the brightness and tinkling sophistication of the party behind them.

"I find that I'm bored by this party Nanao-chan, and in great need of tea. There's a cafe not even three blocks from here, but I find I'm not in a mood to be alone either. If I asked you to come with me, would you, Nanao-chan?" Kyouraku-sama asked after a length of time in an almost meditative tone.

Gazing at him out of the corner of her eye Nanao pondered for a moment. "As I find that I currently owe you a favour Kyouraku-sama I will, on one condition."

"Condition's my little cat? And what condition is that?" Kyouraku-sama asked, obviously intrigued.

Standing up and stretching her back out slowly Nanao took her time in answering. "I'm too tired to want to have to beat back my wayward and incorrigible boss with a weapon. If you promise to behave, I would appreciate a cup of tea if Kyouraku-sama is offering."

Obviously taking this as a challenge Kyouraku-sama pulled a moue of disappointment. "My Nanao-chan has no faith in me. Does she think that I'd take advantage of her after inviting her in such a gentlemanly fashion?"

"In a word: yes, Kyouraku-sama. Your word if you please." Nanao-chan smiled coolly at him.

"Fine, fine little cat. You have your promise, but you wound me deeply with your insinuations" Kyouraku said, standing up as well. "After you my delightful and suspicious Nanao-chan", Kyouraku motioned her back the way they'd came.

Watching her pass through the doors and back into the party beyond Shunsui felt his heart warm. His Nanao-chan was well on her way to recovery, bargaining like that, and he would get a chance to use his plan after all, although he supposed he should go a little bit easy on his little cat-chan given the circumstances. Fair was fair he supposed, and he'd already gotten something of great value tonight: an insight into the mind of Nanao-chan, and perhaps an idea of her resistance. Although Shunsui didn't know Nanao's history with that detestable man, he knew something of it.

As they walked across the room and towards the door Shunsui caught another sight of Hiroki-kun and felt his eyes narrow slightly. Shunsui despised fighting and viewed it as no solution, but if he was Hiroki-kun he would be careful. After all, there were exceptions to every rule.

* * *

Once again, I was editing my own work here. If anyone sees any massive mistakes or has any suggestions I would appreciate hearing them. Thanks for everyone who has already read/reviewed the story, and thanks in advance to everyone that hopefully will!


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